sALt & Light Uk tRAining
training ISSUE 001 FEBRUARY 2012
a big ask? taking training seriously
Over the last couple of years, we have made huge moves forward as a family of churches. God has spoken to us about a fresh sense of mandate, purpose and togetherness, and we have responded by forming our 2020vision – pioneering, proclaiming, transforming, together – and developed 4 goals to help us make progress towards that vision. Goal 3 is to do with training and releasing 300 leaders. It’s a big ask and has clarified to us that we need to ‘up our game’ significantly, working together in churches, regions and across the UK to train as many people as possible for the work that God is calling them to! Recent analysis undertaken by the UK Training Team shows that in order to fulfil our vision we definitely need to meet this goal of 300 leaders released. And, if we are to have a good prospect of releasing 300, we need to aim for 10% of our people trained at Level 2. That in turn will require many more being trained to Level 1, identifying those that have a call to a more mature level of leadership. Perhaps we should aim to see half of all our people participating in Level 1!?
welcome!
Welcome to our new training newsletter, produced by the UK Training Team to serve the Salt & Light UK family of churches – helping us work together towards our goal of seeing all of God’s people equipped for all of God’s work! Look out for our next edition, including Malcolm Duncan on the Transformation of Society and a review of Alistair McGrath on Theological Education.
50% trained to Level 1?
10% trained to Level 2?
300 Level 2 leaders released
It’s not just about us running the Bible College slightly differently, or some of our churches running one or two year teams or courses, but about each of us as leaders, as churches and as regions, focusing on a fresh commitment to discipleship as a lifestyle. I want to ask each of you to consider your part in that. What is God saying to you about your own training and discipleship? What part should you play in training men and women to take their place in God’s kingdom? Mark Mumford UK Team leader
LEADER
1
All CHANGE? training for purpose As Mark says in his lead article, in the last few years we’ve spent a lot of time looking at, talking about and reshaping training. Are we just reorganising for the sake of it, or is there ‘method in our madness’? We have asked ourselves a number of questions: • What are we trying to achieve? Our training needs to be ‘fit for purpose’: training people as competent Christian leaders in many spheres of life. • Where are the gaps in what we are doing? Our training has often been excellent, but usually slightly sporadic and not very well ‘joined up’. We have designed a more ‘strategic’ approach. • What is done best in churches or regions, and what should we do together as a S&L family? We don’t want to ‘centralise’, but we do want to work together where that makes us more effective. As we have developed a new training framework, we have come to several conclusions and started to take action: • We are focusing on producing what we are calling Level 2 Leaders, whilst training “all of God’s people for all of God’s work.” • Training involves the 3Cs of character, leadership competence and theological ‘content’. • The discipleship of leadership competence and character is best done locally. We will make facilitating resources available. • Theological education (Level 2) is best done together. We are taking a fresh look at King’s Theological College (KTC, formerly KBCTC) at cost, course content and outcomes. • We launched King’s School of Theology (KST) in 2011 with 38 students to provide another option. KST and KTC are working together under the King’s Theology brand to offer a wide range of Level 2 theological training. • We are developing some self-assessment tools to help you assess your own training needs. OK, so here’s the question: We’re reshaping and ungrading the stuff we’re doing nationally. What are you doing, in your church? Do you have a strategy for the identification and discipleship of leadership? Visit www.saltlight.org/uktraining to find out more. Andy O’Connell is the UK Training Manager andyo@saltlight.org
what the students say: Hannah I chose KTC because I’d seen how positive it had been for friends as they had really been transformed whilst studying there, and because I was searching for more, for a deep understanding of who God is and strong foundations on which to base my faith. I came with expectations about what the year would be like, but they have been exceeded by miles. Even though we’re only halfway through the year, I have gained a deeper relationship with God than I ever imagined. The year is setting me up for a life of walking with God, with confidence to express that to others who haven’t found him yet. It’s hard to describe a typical week because it always feels really varied. I live in a student house and studying together. My church placement is stretching me in leadership, with opportunities I didn’t expect. The lectures are pushing me to go deeper and my mind is being stretched! I love studying in a place which combines theology and worship. There’s something here for everyone, regardless of their age and background.
Hannah Kemp (from Walsall) is a student at KTC this year
what the students say: SEAN
The volume of words fighting to attract our attention constitute a roaring avalanche! Advertising, blogs, books, TV, Twitter, texts and Facebok all compete to overwhelm us. Last year I asked myself: Which words am I paying most attention to? Which do I allow to shape me? And vitally, whose words? KST is a rich, flexible experience. Designed for those who aren’t able to take a year out of life for full-time study, the course is like having the opportunity to walk into a jewelers and take time to unhurriedly examine his very best diamond. The excellent KST team help us look into the jewel that is God’s word, interact with it from different angles, and study its clarity, its depth and its value. As I reshape my life according to HIS words, I’m understanding that a greater ability to simply talk about the jewel won’t cut it! Words in my mind must burst forth in my life. That’s what KST is doing for me. Sean Sankey is a participant in King’s School of Theology and part of LifeChurch Manchester
an online world: engage in the discussion Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter, YouTube – these have all become part of everyday life for many of us. According to recent research over 70% of adults in the UK are using social media; with increasing proportions actively using these online tools to help shape opinions about products, services and organisations.
sALt & Light Uk tRAining
There are also plenty of people who are engaging in discussion about more important things than the latest reality TV show – discussion about what we believe, the fundamentals of our faith … our theology, is happening online right now. If you want to get involved in the discussion, or just read what others are saying, visit us online! Dan Campsall is the Course Director for King’s School of Theology
resources
www.biblos.com The look and feel of a standalone Bible software program, giving immediate access to a huge library, searchable atlas, concordance, Bible encyclopedia, commentaries and much more. www.biblegateway.com offers more than just a straightforward passage look-up service, with various study tools including the IVP New Testament Commentaries, and the ability to listen to audio bibles. www.blueletterbible.org offers over twenty Bible commentaries, images, maps, Bible reading plans and multiple Bible versions. The website looks simple but is easy to use and loaded with information!
find out more visit us online kingstheology.org facebook.com/kingstheology twitter.com/kingstheology youtube.com/kingstheology
get our brochure King’s Theology 2012 brochure is now available, setting out all the different options and their benefits.
call us King’s Theology enquiry line 01865 297447 Ask for John come and VISIT KST Taster Sessions • Sat 31 Mar, 9am-1pm Oxford. Person of Christ. • Sat 9 Jun, 9am-1pm Derby. Holy Spirit. KTC Open Days, Oxford • Thu 8 Mar, 9.30am-2.00pm. • Thu 28 Jun, 9.30am-2.00pm Please book by emailing enquiries@kingstheology.org or calling John on 01865 297447. All options are free and include free lunch.
Training Magazine is a quarterly publication of the UK Training Team, serving the Salt & Light UK family of churches and our 2020vision. For more information please visit: www.kingstheology.org www.kingstheologicalcollege.org www.saltlight.org/uktraining or call 01865 297447
training missional theologians?
There are many different ways to be trained in theology from full-time and part-time courses at a theological college or training weekends or distance learning. All too often though, theological training and education is thought of as abstract and cut off from everyday life. This is neither good education nor good theology. God’s word is living and active, and knowing that word renews our minds and our daily lives. Theological education is not a data-download. It is a transformation of the whole person – one that turns us out of ourselves, towards the world in gospel-boldness and towards God in worship. So what does this mean in practice? What does good theological education look like?
Good theology changes you Firstly, theology is worth investing in because it will change the way you think, the way you live, and how you minister. The more time you can give the better because it is a transformational process. Time to think and opportunities to apply theology are essential for good theological education. Most of us juggle a number of priorities and being trained theologically for life and ministry will be one priority amongst a number. My encouragement would be that training is vitally important because of its lasting effect and is worth making sacrifices to achieve. When it comes to theological training we have seen that the greater the investment you make, the more you receive in return. For most of us, the more flexible and ‘bolt-on’ you try to be in your approach to theological training, the less its lasting effect and fruitfulness.
Good theology connects with the real world Secondly, applying your theology in the ‘real world’ is vital – good theology is applied theology! Church placements, being part of missional communities and trips overseas are some of the ways this can happen. What’s important is that you are taught to ‘join up the
dots’ – you are helped to see how your developing theology changes the way you minister; whether in understanding how to contextualise the gospel into a particular youth culture or why the transformation of our society is right at the heart of the message of Jesus.
Good theology is done together A third important aspect of studying theology is that it’s best done together – in community. Being made in God’s image means that, amongst other things, humans are social. Learning together is natural. Add to this the fact that, when chewing over challenging issues, many heads are better than one as you shape opinion through dialogue, have your blind spots covered by others and encourage each other to keep pressing on. A close community also provides a place in which to outwork learning, as together you wrestle with the difference your learning will make to how you live.
Good theology is flavoured by God’s mission And last, but by no means least, theological study needs to be flavoured by the fact that God is missionary by nature. God sent Jesus into the world on a seek-and-find mission of rescue, healing and restoration. Theological study must reflect this. We need to learn how to constantly restate the gospel in the ever-changing cultural contexts in which we find ourselves – translating the timeless gospel into contemporary language. We need to be trained in the ways and mission of Jesus by theological formation that embodies the character of Jesus (people transformed to be increasingly like Jesus) and the competency of Jesus (able to do the things Jesus does). So, there are different ways to train in theology but good training will include time to chew things over, opportunities to apply what is being learnt, a group of people to learn alongside and a growing passion to see God rescue and transform the lives of others. It’s not about an information-download but rather about a transformation in the way we think – a transformation that goes on through life and impacts how we live and how we minister to others. A transformation into missional theologians! If you’ve not already enjoyed training like this then can I ask you to think seriously about how you could – it’ll be worth the investment. richard colbrook is the principal of King’s theological college richard@kingstheologicalcollege.org